The Wallace Cup

Ash laid in bed wide awake as the sun began shining into the room, he'd been staring up at the ceiling for the past hour after a difficult night's sleep. Marnie's kiss had haunted his thoughts all night long it was so strange it wasn't like it was his first kiss, Serena had kissed him a few years ago before departing the Kalos region only that hadn't hit as hard as this one. He hardly even thought of Serena's kiss possibly due to how ignorant he was at the time when it came to romance but this was different, he couldn't forget and it was strange but it felt like part of him didn't want to forget that either. He soon heard the door opening up followed by footsteps before hearing his roommate plopping down back onto the bed across the room, Ash hadn't really noticed that he wasn't there until now, most likely he'd woken up early to squeeze in some more training before they met up with May and Dawn.

"Hey Zach?" Ash heard a light mumble beneath a pillow suggesting that he'd heard him. "You had a girlfriend before... it's true that girls mostly only kiss guys that they like right?"

"Huh?" Zach sat up and looked towards Ash with a momentary confused expression before he recalled the events of the prior evening. "Oh that. Marnie likes you alright, Chloe and I noticed a long time ago. If she wanted to remain platonic it'd simply have been a hug."

A smile formed across Ash's face without the boy even realizing it at first. So Marnie did like him after all! "How should I go about this? I-I don't exactly have experience in the romance field."

"Just approach her and ask if she wants to go to the Wind Festival with you, you're lucky that you know she likes you. Ya don't have to worry about rejection like most..."

Ash thought about it for a moment and realized that the Wind Festival was a perfect place for a date, it wouldn't be somewhere out of his element like a nice restaurant or the awkward silence provided with a movie. The rides were sure to give them something to talk about and there would also be the various carnival games too! He then picked up on Zach's mention of fearing rejection, recalling that Zach was planning on asking May to go with him! "Thanks and good luck with May!"

Zach gave a nervous smile before standing up. "Well I'd imagine the girls are awake by now, let's go get something to eat!"

Ash nodded before quickly getting dressed, Pikachu and Toxel both woke from their slumber and hopped up onto his shoulders as the boys started to exit the room and head down to the café portion of the Pokemon Center where they found Marnie and Chloe to already be located at. Chloe looked up and waved at them as they caught her attention, Marnie turned with a bit of an anxious look that was rather quick to fade upon realizing Ash didn't look angry or upset at her, forming a smile as she looked towards him with Ash returning it before sitting down across from her at the table. Zach gave Chloe a light poke before beckoning her to follow him with a light nod, she seemed to catch on what was going to happen and quickly stood up before following him to a different table with their Pokemon following close behind them.

Marnie watched them leave with a suspicious look before turning back to Ash. "What's up?"

"I-Marnie, would you like to go to the Wind Festival with me?"

"We were already going, weren't we?" Marnie asked while narrowing her eyes as she tried to identify his meaning.

"Well yeah but I meant more along the lines of just the two of us, no Chloe and no Zach. A date if you will," Marnie smirked as Ash explained before nodding her head in acceptance.

"I was hoping ya would ask me! Of course I accept!" The two smiled at one another as Ash began greatly anticipating the Wind Festival, it was strange but he was actually looking forward to that more than he was his possible match with Wallace! "Just so ya know, I'm not like the girls ya traveled with... or at least the ones I've met. I'm not a girly girl, I don't care if things are absolutely perfect or expect ya to dress up. Just be yourself, okay?"

Ash felt a great sense of relief from her words as he quickly nodded in response. "Well that's a relief, to be honest I have no idea what I'm doing."

"I know, it doesn't bother me the slightest!" Marnie assured him with a smile before the two dug into their breakfast, knowing that they didn't have long before May and Dawn would be expecting them all to show up.


May stood alongside Dawn at the entrance to Wallace's stadium, both on the lookout for Ash's arrival with May being the first to spot their approach. "There they are!" She jumped up and gave them a wave while Dawn turned around and focused her attention on Ash's new friends. Just from the looks alone she could sense that something was going on between Ash and the new girl, feeling happy for him that he potentially found someone. Her gaze then focused upon the male companion before glancing towards May with a teasing smirk.

"Is that the guy you've been talking about? He is rather attractive..."

"Dawn!" May gasped out, her cheeks began glowing bright red while Dawn let out a light laugh as May lightly punched her arm.

"What? Just making an observation, you'd make a cute couple!" Dawn smiled while supporting her best friend whose face only grew redder.

"Y-You think so? I know that he's available, or at least that's what I gathered from asking the others. But what if he doesn't feel the same way?" She'd gotten over Drew moving on to Solidad near the Johto journey's completion rather easily, what she had for his was simply puppy love and she supported her two friends finding happiness together, they still were together after all these years too! This time was different though, Zach always seemed to know how to get people to laugh even if it was at the expense of himself, he had an unwavering loyalty to those he considered friends and he was incredibly brave too throwing himself at Moltres in an attempt at saving his disobedient Pokemon's life! He was constantly on her mind since they parted ways and she longed for their next encounter, it really felt like he was the one!

"Well it never hurts to just ask him out, that's not strictly a guy thing. If he says yes then you've got your answer, it sounds better than waiting around for a question that will never get brought up."

"Yeah, maybe you're right..." May spoke while giving off another wave as the group had arrived. May and Zach locked eyes and smiled at each other before both looked away with a blush.

"Hey Ash, long time no see!" Dawn spoke up while giving him a wave. "How's that champion life going for you?"

"Dawn it's been awhile," Ash chuckled lightly as he recalled that it'd been several years since they last met in the Unova region. "It's pretty alright, I'm taking part in the Pokemon World Championship and gradually working my way towards the top so that I can beat Cynthia and Lance!"

"Heh, I don't envy you one bit. That Garchomp of hers is like a freight train, hardly anything can even put a dent in it and Lance's Gyarados and Dragonite are just as strong!"

"Yeah but Pikachu and I look forward to the challenge!" Ash remarked.

"Pika pika!"

"Tox!" Pikachu and Toxel chimed in with Pikachu forming a light glare at the Poison type in response.

"So what about you two, are you competin-"

"Nope!" Both May and Dawn simultaneously shook their heads.

"We're judging!" May exclaimed.

"Yeah, seeing how both of us have won more Grand Festivals than any other Coordinator in history Wallace decided to honor us by making us judges for the Wallace Cup!"

"It does suck that we can't compete but being a judge is a great honor!" May smiled. "So is Chloe competing?"

"I aim to try," Chloe spoke softly. "I-I'm not sure if Contests are what I'm looking for but it doesn't hurt to try it out!"

"Precisely, I wasn't too much different when I started off but just from watching Contests I knew that they were the right thing for me." May explained before waving her on in. "Well you should probably get registered then, the deadline is only a few minutes from now." Chloe nodded and quickly rushed into the stadium while Dawn turned towards Ash once more.

"So what of it Ash? I take it you've come to face Wallace like May suggested?"

"If he can squeeze it in, I know he's a busy man. How did he lose his title anyways?" Ash asked.

"Oh it's rather simple, remember Nando? Well let's just say that people like him and Wallace have to choose eventually, you can't keep an impressive battling career and performance career going simultaneously. Eventually you're bound to mess up or overwhelm yourself and/or your Pokemon, causing you to have to make a choice. Contests won Wallace's heart and Steven won back the Champion title. Wallace still engages in the odd battle though so it's not like he'll outright reject you, he still loves them." Dawn explained. "Anyways May and I will see if we can get him to meet you after the event is over,"

"That'd be nice, thank you. I really hope that he accepts, it sounds like beating him will give me the experience I need in order to eventually beat Steven!" Ash excitedly exclaimed as he pumped his fists. "I can't wait!"

"Pika!"


"There all signed up, where do I go from here?" Chloe asked May before the brunette directed her towards a door leading backstage.

"There's an area dedicated to wardrobe so that you can get changed into contest attire without any prying eyes. I'd show you myself but it's simple enough to find and I've really got to get onstage soon so that the contest can start!" May explained. Chloe nodded her head before picking Eevee back up into her arms as she headed backstage. May started towards the door that led towards the stage itself before pausing as she noticed Zach approaching on his lonesome, she turned to face him with a warm smile and a bit of a blush figuring that now would probably be the best time to ask since the others weren't around if things went bad.

"M-May, I want to talk to you!"

"So do I-Talking with you anyways!" May blushed, nervously rubbing her arm as the two glanced to the side.

"Would you-Would you like to go to the Wind Festival with me?!" Both simultaneously turned and asked that, their faces glowing bright red as large smiles began to form across them.

"I take it you know my answer then?" May giggled outwards as Zach let out a light laugh.

"And you know mine?"

"I'll see you after this is over," May grabbed hold of his hand as she kissed his cheek. Both their faces grew even redder as a result while she continued. "We can talk more about it then, I've got to get out there."

"I understand, good luck." Zach gave her a quick hug before rushing off to find Ash and Marnie while May watched him go with a warm smile across her face before heading out onto the stage.


"Altaria!" A Mega Altaria swooped graciously through the air above the stage. A girl that had a striking resemblance to Wallace stood on the stage commanding the Altaria as the crowd cheered loudly, the two hadn't even made any attack moves yet and they already seemed to have a large following from within the crowd!

"Who is that?" Ash asked, wondering if it was supposed to be a celebrity of some sort.

Marnie pulled out her Rotom Phone and began messing around with it. "Her name's Lisia, Wallace's niece. She is a newcomer to the field but very popular despite only having two ribbons to her name as of right now."

"Huh, guess being a Coordinator runs in the family." Zach spoke.

"Alright Altaria, Moonblast then follow up with an Ice Beam!" Lisia ordered.

An orb of pink energy formed at Altaria's mouth before getting launched off followed quickly by a beam of ice which caused the orb to explode upon impact causing a bright glitter of pink and blue lights to shimmer down onto the stage below as Altaria landed on the ground and took a quick bow alongside her trainer while the crowd cheer loudly for the duo.

Chloe looked on from backstage and cast a nervous glance towards Eevee. "How are we going to compete with that?"

Eevee flicked her tail with an annoyed look. "You're right, we can't just give up. We'll never know if we're any good at it if we don't at least try, let's get on out there!" Chloe took a deep breath as she heard the Contest MC call out for her entry. She quickly walked out onto the stage, showing off a vibrant and sparkling pink dress as Eevee trotted alongside her.

"Alright Eevee, use Sizzly Slide!" Eevee's body became cloaked in fire as she charged forward, Chloe's mind quickly darted about as she debated her next move. "A-Aim Bouncy Bubble up above you!"

"Eevoi!" Eevee aimed her head up and fired off a series of bubbles which fell back down and burst upon touching Eevee's fiery pelt, causing fire and water to splash and spark off in a rather beautiful combination as the crowd was quick to cheer her on. The judges all glanced at one another before nodding their heads and giving her 9's across the board! Chloe let out a breath of relief upon realizing that they wouldn't be eliminated straight away as a pair of 9's was almost a guarantee that you'd advance to the next round!


After the rest of the Coordinators had their shot they all headed backstage and anticipated the reveal of the sixteen trainers that would be progressing into the final act of the competition. It took a few minutes for the computer to read the results and process them all and soon the contest board updated to showcase sixteen pictures flipped over so nobody could see them nor the opponent that the computer had randomly selected. Right away Lisia's image was showcased which wasn't much of a surprise given her popularity what followed was a surprise as the next card to be placed along with the reveal of her opponent, Chloe!

Chloe let out a frightened gasp as she looked towards Lisia. Lisia turned towards Chloe and gave her a friendly smile before extending her hand. "I've never seen or heard of you before, I'm guessing that you're just starting? No need to get anxious, I'm a Coordinator much like you. Only difference is the popularity to be honest."

Chloe forced a smile and reached out to shake her hand though that didn't change her tone. Lisia seemed to be naturally gifted at this and had a passion for it, those ingredients didn't bode well for Chloe. She considered her performance sheer luck and doubt that they'd manage to hold their own against her in the coming round. The crowd soon cheered, encouraging the two to come out and fight it out in their contest battle.

Lisia looked out before glancing back at Chloe and giving off another smile. "Well that's our cue, good luck out there!" She rushed on out, waving her arms frantically as the crowds cheered loudly, the roars growing even louder as Altaria was released!

"Eevoi..."

"I feel the same but let's not give up just yet, we owe it to her to at least try!" Chloe stepped out onto the field with Eevee following right behind her.

"Alright, let the contest battle commence!" The MC cried out with a throw of her arm.

"Buzzy Buzz!"

"Buzzy Buzz? That's a new one." Ash commented.

"Yeah, and she sure is creative with the names." Marnie added.

Eevee's pelt sparked before she zapped Altaria with a jolt of electricity. Lisia raised an eyebrow before shaking her head. "Contest battles are about putting on a show while you battle! Altaria, fly on up and twirl about before shooting down Ice Beam!"

"Altaria!" Altaria soared into the sky before proceeding to twirl and spin her body about, her beak soon aimed in Eevee's direction as she fired off a beam of ice. The ice was also twirling as a result of the Dragon's movements, blasting Eevee and turning her into a block of ice as Chloe gasped out.

"Eevee?!"

The crowd cheered as they thought it was only but silence soon struck as the ice began to melt rather fast, revealing Eevee's fiery form as the Normal type had an enraged expression across her face. "Evoi!"

"Wow from sheer force of will Eevee managed to burn her way out!" The MC announced with an excitable tone.

Lisia watched on before throwing out her arm. "Not bad," Lisia proceed to switch her Mega Ring with her arm, activating it and causing Altaria to be surrounded in a bright pink glow, casting points to be deducted from Chloe's counter as the light was rather beautiful and eye catching.

"Sing!" Altaria stretched out her wings and began singing a melodic lullaby causing Eevee along with some of the audience and the local Nurse Joy that happened to be one of the competition's judges to began drifting off to sleep.

"Zzz..."

"Unbelievable, he's asleep!" Marnie poked Zach as the lullaby had gotten him, she then turned around and realized that Ash had drifted to sleep as well. The girl rolled her eyes before resuming focus on the battle in progress.

"Let's wrap this up with a lovely Moonblast!" The pink orb formed in front of Altaria's mouth before being launched at Eevee's sleeping form, the attack exploded upon impact and sent Eevee flying! The Normal type flew back into her trainer's arms, landing perfectly into them as swirls formed in her eyes while the judges all turned their scoreboards to red X's to indicate that Chloe was out. The larger screen board then adjusted to showcase Lisia as the winner!

Chloe let out a sigh upon accepting the loss before standing back up and walking towards Lisia before extending her hand once more. "Thank you for the match, it was... fun but I don't think I'm right for Contests."

Lisia shook her hand and dismissed her with a wave of her other hand. "Don't worry about it, not every Coordinator makes it past the first act before giving up. You did great and I'm sure with a bit of practice you'd be an excellent Coordinator. At the end of the day it's your decision though, hopefully you find a goal that fulfills whatever it is you're looking for."


"Lisia is our winner folks, she's won the annual Wallace Cup!" Wallace himself stepped out of the judge panel and approached his niece in order to shake her hand and congratulate her on the win as the crowd had cheered loudly. Though she was his niece he remained impartial and judged her as fairly as he would anyone else.

"Good for her," Chloe smiled as she looked on from the audience, losing to the winner always did make one feel better about their loss.

"Are you sure you want to give up on Contests? You did look great out there." Marnie asked her.

"Nah, I'm sure. It's just... not right for me. I could think of techniques for this one but whose to say that I can do that for the next one or maybe the one after without reusing techniques and tactics? My performance would quickly become stale, no I'm not fit for this. I'm not like Ash and Zach, I'm not good at strategizing."

"Well that's okay, there's still plenty of other goals out there like a Pokemon Connoisseur, Breeder... I'm sure you'll find something and I'll be there to help you find it!" Ash stated, showcasing his support to his friend while Marnie and Zach nodded in agreement.

"Right,"

"We're here for you Chloe, no matter what!"

Chloe smiled at her friends, thankful that they were so supportive of her. "Thank you, all of you..."

They stood up and began exiting the stadium as the crowd started thinning out, a voice spoke up however that caught Ash's attention.

"Ash!" Wallace had entered the main hall of the stadium, a bunch of eager fans rushed forward before getting pushed aside by his Milotic's tail, the Water type giving them a warning look as the Grand Coordinator spoke with Ash. "Your two friends informed me about your request and I'm more than willing to accept, they're the best Coordinators that I've ever laid eyes on and if you're their friend then I'm sure that you're quite as equally impressive a battler as they are at contests! I'd love to get right into the swing of things but it's already quite late and I'm exhausted. How about we battle tomorrow morning bright and early? Four on four sound good to you?"

"Sounds perfect to me!" Ash gave the former champion a thumbs up while flashing him a smirk. "I can't wait to battle against you!"

"The feeling is mutual I assure you, see ya tomorrow!" Wallace waved before quickly rushing off to prepare and get a good night's sleep.

"You still have some preparation of your own to do," Marnie pointed out. "Drizzile, Kubfu, Dreep and Toxel can't all be on your team if you expect to come out on top. You've gotta go make a switch!" Charizard had joined Pikachu in having a consistent place on the team, with how often they came across bad guys or simply needed a flier Ash had decided to promote Charizard and only ever switched him out if it was absolutely necessary.

"Oh right!" Ash's cheeks turned red, he'd meant to do that the previous evening but Marnie had unintentionally distracted him from doing so. "I should probably get on that right away, thanks Marnie!"


It wouldn't be long before they all gathered at the Pokemon Center, Dawn had decided to turn in early due to her having just arrived from a flight earlier in the day but planned on sticking around for Ash's match. While Chloe was doing her weekly chat with her family, informing them that everything was okay and telling them about the progress that she and her friends made. Ash himself was busy strategizing and planning out his team while looking over Wallace's old Pokemon League profile, thinking up which of his various powerhouses he'd bring out to help Pikachu in the incoming match. Marnie sat nearby and kept a close eye on him to make sure that he didn't overwork himself and actually got some sleep before tomorrow, wanting him to be at his best for his battle against Wallace. While Zach was out the back of the Pokemon Center, getting some brief and quick training in with his Pokemon while May watched with her finally taking notice of Scorbunny's evolution.

"So Scorbunny and Dratini both evolved since I last saw you?" May asked while her eyes scanned the rest of his Pokemon. He was rather thankful that Porygon wasn't there as he wasn't sure how he'd explain that one to her.

"Yeah, she evolved helping me win my second badge while Dratini evolved yesterday." Zach informed. May noticed that he didn't have an explanation for Dratini beyond that causing her to raise an eyebrow as he started to sweat.

"How did she evolve if you don't mind me asking?"

"I-I don't think I should say, I promised a friend I'd keep it secret!"

"A friend?" May questioned, tilting her head as Zach raised his hands.

"It's not a girl, I wouldn't hide something like that I swear! It's-I don't want to risk somebody hearing me mention him and come after him."

A flash of yellow raced between them causing a breeze of wind to flow through the area, May wrapped her arms around her body as she shivered from the cold while Lucario dropped what he was doing and was on alert, letting out a growl before laxening up upon realizing what he sensed.

"Carrr!"

"Huh? He's not here is he-Oh. You have been following me, I knew I wasn't crazy!" Zach turned around and spotted Zeraora standing next to his other Pokemon. The Electric type beckoned with his paw while forming a light smirk, he'd been stalking him to see if he'd reveal his location but he never said a thing and upon hearing the trainer speak from the heart and reveal that he wouldn't do so, Zeraora decided to honor Zach's earlier request for a Pokemon battle.

"You want to battle? Well alright, let's do this!" Zach excitably exclaimed as he was eager to see that move of Zeraora's again. Before he could move on however May grabbed hold of his arm and nodded towards Zeraora.

"Can you explain what that Pokemon is?" She asked.

"Oh, he's an powerful and awesome Electric type! Just wait until you see the sweet move he has, I've never seen anything like it!"

"H-How did you two meet? Did Dratini battle it and-?"

"No way, I'd never have sent Dratini against him. Dratini was the last Pokemon left to stand up against a local Pokemon poacher and she evolved during the tango and beat the final Pokemon!"

"So you saved this Pokemon?" May asked.

"And he saved me in return, utilizing that move while he did so!" Unlike Sonia, May didn't get tensed up when she heard that Zeraora had saved him. The girl nodded in understanding before giving him a good luck kiss on the cheek. Zach smiled and rubbed his hand where she'd kissed him before turning his attention back to Zeraora. "I'm ready when you are, you ready to do this?!"

"Zera!" Zeraora clapped his hands together as electricity sparked off of them.

"Alright, Lucario let's go!"

"Carrr!" Lucario roared while Raboot and the other Pokemon backed up to allow the two space for their duel.

"Bone Rush!"

"Carrr!" Lucario ignited an aura infused bone club before rushing at Zeraora and taking a swing only for the Electric type to swiftly dodge it, the club just barely grazing his back before the feline leaped up and slammed his electrically charged fists into the ground causing a burst of blue lightning to burst through the ground before zapping Lucario! The jackal let out a whimper before shaking it off with a growl, narrowing his eyes at his opponent.

"You're faster than I anticipated!" Zach smirked before nodding towards Lucario. "Use Agility twice!" Lucario nodded in response as Zeraora raced back towards Lucario and began punching at him rapidly with Close Combat!

"Now that I recognize, Laser Focus!" Lucario narrowed his eyes as he concentrated on his opponent. Zeraora began charging at Lucario, readying up for another Close Combat attack! "Bone Club, now!" Lucario took a hard swing, slamming the end of the club into Zeraora's stomach as the feline let out a gasp, his eyes widened from the pain with the Electric type flashing Lucario and his trainer an impressed smirk before his fists began glowing bright blue again as he reached out and tapped Lucario with them, the lightning surged through Lucario's body as the jackal let out a cry of immense pain before collapsing to his side with swirls in his eyes. Zach helped Lucario up before dragging him off the field, Zeraora watched with an impressed look as the trainer set Lucario's back up against a wall so that he'd safely be out of the way.

"Only one other here can compete with that speed, Raboot let's go!" Raboot charged onto the field and punched the air in front of her with excitement shining in her eyes.

"Ra ra!"

"Raboot, catch!" Raboot turned and caught a piece of charcoal that her trainer tossed in her direction, the rabbit forming a smirk as her body quickly ignited in flames as she already could guess her orders. "Flame Charge!"

"Ra ra!" Raboot burst across the field in a fiery inferno, her flames appearing bigger than they'd ever been as she slammed her body up against Zeraora's! The feline let out a groan as he was knocked back before quickly shaking back his senses as he readied up. Slamming his fists together as blue balls of electrically infused plasma flowed through them, the feline took a leap up and slammed his fists into the ground causing electricity to burst through and strike Raboot, the Raboot letting out a pained grunt as she collapsed to her knees before falling face forward into the dirt.

"Raboot... I'm sorry, I thought-" A large flame enveloped Raboot's body as she slowly stood up, her eyes burning a bright fiery red as she glanced back at her trainer before looking towards Zeraora once more.

"That's her Blaze ability!" May quickly explained while Zach looked at Raboot with amazement in his eyes before speaking up.

"Y-You sure about this Raboot? If he strikes you again it's probably going to hurt you a lot, I don't want you to end up like Obstagoon." Raboot turned to her trainer and shook her head, insisting that she could handle this! "Well okay-Lucario's going to be ticked at both of us if we're wrong though. Flame Charge one last time!" Raboot clapped her paws together as more flames surrounded her body, the rabbit soared across the field before delivering a powerful kick to Zeraora that sent the feline flying behind landing sprawled out on his back, swirls in his eyes as he let out a groan.

"Drago!"

"Corvi!"

"Rai rai!"

"Prinplup!" The other Pokemon cheered Raboot on, the rabbit smiling brightly at their praise before she looked down and saw her paws becoming surrounded in a bright blue glow followed swiftly by the rest of her body. Her form grew even taller, now standing as tall as Lucario and her trainer while her appearance started resembling that of her younger form only now with black fur on her feet along with red fur all along the bottom of her waist! Her ears had also grown significantly as she stood proudly in the middle of the field and began chanting her name.

"Ace ace, Cinderace!"

"Cinderace the Striker Pokemon, it's skilled at both offense and defense and it gets pumped up when cheered on. But if it starts showboating, it could put itself in a tough spot!"

Zach's Rotom Phone read out as it registered her data.

"Yeah that sure sounds like the Cinderace I know and love," He smirked, the newly evolved rabbit raced over to him and pulled him into a hug while excitedly crying out before rushing over to assist Lucario. Zach turned his attention to the defeated Zeraora, leaving his Pokemon to celebrate the new evolution for a brief moment as he held out a revive and dropped it down Zeraora's throat. The feline coughed before looking up and letting out a light purr as he saw a Sitrus berry being offered to him, reaching out and swiping it with his paw before quickly downing it.

"Thank you so much for the battle, Zeraora. It was so much fun and I could tell that my Pokemon had as much fun participating and watching as I did! You can rest easy knowing that I won't blab about your secret, if I didn't tell my girlfriend then it's quite obvious nobody else will know. You'll remain safe and free out there, I should really get back to Cinderace and congratulate her on the evolution-" Zeraora reached out and grabbed his arm as he attempted to turn away, the feline's gaze lingered towards his belt before looking back up at him. The feline's gaze then motioned towards a rather large gathering that had formed, all that electricity blasting away had gotten their attention. It wouldn't be easy keeping Zeraora secret now!

Zach paused for a moment, he never had any intention of capturing Pokemon like Zeraora before as he thought it best if they remain free and happy in the wild but this one wanted him to catch him. Zach's thoughts conflicted with another as he pondered what to do but Zeraora made his choice for him, reaching out and tagging an Ultra ball with his paw to allow himself to be captured! The ball hit the ground and started shaking rapidly before chiming to announce the capture complete! The trainer only being snapped out of his trance as his Rotom Phone buzzed off to alert him to Zeraora's registration! The ball itself had teleported away to storage so he could do nothing but stare at Zeraora's picture in the Rotom Phone.

"Welcome to the team, Zeraora. I'll take good care of you, I promise!"


"The Wind Festival is almost upon us," Zager rubbed his hands together with glee as he eyed the disgusting abomination in front of him. "Load it up into the plane, we're going to end the Festival with a literal bang!"

Chloe's thoughts on Contests match my own, I love them but I can't write them. I'd just repeat myself eventually and possibly get bored, resulting in her never losing solely to get them done and that isn't fun, characters need to lose and learn from mistakes. That was never going to be her goal anyways. And yeah Lisia appeared, I liked her character and this was the perfect chance to squeeze her in for a brief bit!

As I hinted at with Marnie's mention of Darkrai, other characters will get legends/mythicals too. Not just Ash. Still won't be anything OP like Rayquaza or Zygarde though and it won't be a common occurrence. Notice how apart from her telepathy I try and treat Latias like a normal Pokemon? Anything that gets caught will be like that, as Ash himself proved many times Legendary Pokemon don't mean you automatically win/lose.

Anyways up next is Ash vs Wallace followed up by the Festival